Crystal Palace have now reached an agreement to sign one player after taking a 'definitive step', according to one report.
Crystal Palace are set for a major summer rebuild
The summer against Palace is one of the most complicated for any Premier League club to navigate.
Oliver Glasner leaves with a lasting legacy – the FA Cup, the Community Shield win over Liverpool on penalties, a historic Conference League quarter-final campaign – but leaves behind a team in the midst of significant change.
No full manager has been decided yet, but work is reportedly progressing well.
Names like Thomas Frank and Andoni Iraola are being evaluated for dugout space, while hiring plans are being made for something closer to space.
Crystal Palace could replace Glasner by hiring an answer to De Zerbi
Crystal Palace are preparing to part ways with Oliver Glasner at the end of the season.
On the pitch, Adam Wharton is set to leave Selhurst and has attracted interest from several top clubs, while Daichi Kamada's contract expires this summer.
Yet amid the turmoil, chairman Steve Parish has made his first 'move' of the summer – and it comes with a compelling story attached.
Crystal Palace are closing in on a deal for Harris Afzal
TEAMtalk's Graeme Bailey says Crystal Palace have agreed terms to sign Harris Afzal from Queen's Park, the 16-year-old Scottish teenager who has drawn comparisons with one of the most highly-rated students in the Glasgow club's history.
It is Queen's Park that produced Andy Robertson – one of Scotland's finest defenders of his generation – and Afzal is already drawing comparisons with the Liverpool legend.
Afzal, whose athleticism, direct running and aggressive goals from wide areas have generated comparisons to Robertson, is now following an almost identical path.
The deal is worth around £40,000, with a built-in sell-on clause – a clause that could be hugely lucrative if Afzal is anything like his illustrious predecessor.
Palace have agreed terms with Queen's Park and the youngster is expected to move south of the border to accelerate his development in the English Academy system, rather than stay in Scotland.
The problem is that they are not alone.
Southampton, one of the Championship's most well-regarded developments, have appeared to be at the forefront of much of the process, inviting Afzal to an extended test that has built real momentum.
They have agreed terms with Queen's Park and are continuing to push hard for him to sign, so the final decision seems to lie with the player.
Both clubs have strong cases to make.
Southampton's record of nurturing raw talent into top footballers is truly impressive and will be part of their game.
Palace, on the other hand, can point to their established Premier League platform, a chairman who has always shown a willingness to invest in young talent, and how, if Afzal is anything like Robertson, it could lead to somewhere spectacular.
Celtic and Rangers have also been closely monitoring the youngster's progress, but it appears the youngster will follow Robertson's example in heading south rather than staying north of the border.
Crystal Palace have revealed that Everton manager Thomas Frank has called him 'awesome'.
The Eagles are searching for a replacement for Oliver Glasner.
